Language proficiency is critical for the success of emergent bilinguals. Western Heights School District in Oklahoma City recognized the importance of providing intentional support and tools to enable their EBs to grow faster and do better on the WIDA test. In pursuit of this objective, the district implemented the Little Sponges® language development program in the…
In today’s increasingly multicultural society, classrooms are becoming more diverse, with emergent bilingual students representing a significant portion of the student population. These students, who are learning English as a second language while simultaneously developing their native language skills, face unique challenges in their language acquisition journey. One critical aspect of language development is comprehension,…
When it comes to academic tests, young emergent bilinguals have two challenges to overcome! The language barrier is only half of the challenge. Since most tests are now conducted online, technology skills are very important even in Kindergarten. However, many children who are starting school lack these skills for various reasons. Some attended a Pre-K…
One of the most effective ways to facilitate language learning is by providing Comprehensible Input (CI). CI is an instructional approach in which teachers provide input that allows language learners to understand most, but not necessarily all of the language input. In this blog post, we will explore the importance of CI in language learning for…
Many teachers and school administrators are already thinking about how to help their young language learners continue to develop their language skills during the summer break. Summer school programs for multilingual learners are gaining momentum. In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of summer school programs for young language learners. 1. Consistency and…
In this article, we recommend five specific and measurable actions you can implement to take your DLL/ELL program to the next level in 2023 1) Build background knowledge. The best way to teach new content and skills is by activating and building on students’ prior interests and background knowledge before instruction. Students absorb and remember new…